


Pretty Witch

by Darth_Rainbow_Queen_Of_Coconuts



Category: K-Drama - Fandom, The K2, 더 케이투 | The K2 (TV)
Genre: Alternative First Meeting, F/M, Gen, It's okay not to be okay reference, So many snow white references, christmas tale, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28316436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Rainbow_Queen_Of_Coconuts/pseuds/Darth_Rainbow_Queen_Of_Coconuts
Summary: Yoo Jin and Je Ha meet before they have to be enemies, on an eventful christmas eve.
Relationships: (sadly too) Choi Yoo Jin/Jang Se Joon, Choi Yoo Jin/Kim Je Ha
Comments: 26
Kudos: 28





	Pretty Witch

**Author's Note:**

> The title is inspired by the drama 'It's okay not to be okay.' There's a line that goes : "엄마 나는요 예쁜 마녀가 될래요/ Mom, I am going to be a pretty witch." and I feel like in a way, it's befitting for Yoo Jin.

With trembling hands and tears in her eyes, the woman exited the reception. Of course she was humiliated, that hardly harmed her feelings anymore. But to see her husband laugh in dismissal when other people pointed out that his behavior was disrespectful, that, had hurt. Especially when he made a point of pulling the other woman closer and ask how she felt about it. "I would never doubt your loyalty." She chuckled at her own words, standing alone on the balcony. How could she be so submissive? Her? She would have harmed others for less. But him? He could get away with anything. And her heart would still crave for his approval.

Shaking her head, she looked down at the street below as she wiped away her tears, making sure her movements remained unseen to anyone standing inside. Then sniffled softly.

Right then, she heard a whistle. Followed by a 'Ya! Idiot!" And her gaze settled on a small group of soldiers to see an older male smacking the back of a young recruit's head. "Permission doesn't mean you are permitted to misbehave. You still represent the Korean Army."

"Sorry sergeant Ho." The young recruit replied, rubbing the back of his head as he looked up to meet Yoo Jin's eyes. "I would like to respectfully inform you that you are beautiful." He told her.

She chuckled, the sound a little wet and hollow as unseen silent tears rolled down her cheeks. While she didn't see them, another recruit amongst the group of soldiers did. "Are you alright, ma'am?" The fellow young man asked. "Rescuing people is part of our duty, just say the words and—"

Yoo Jin laughed, interrupting him as she absentmindedly wiped away the wetness on her cheeks. "Do I look like I need help?"

"Need? No. But all the princesses stuck in their tower could use a voluntary knight to do the leg work so they can become queens later." He replied.

"Yoo Jin-ah." Her husband's voice interrupted, leading her to spin on herself, startled. He grew closer, a false fondness on his features as he brought hand on either side of her body, leaning against the balcony. "You left so suddenly, I looked for you everywhere..."

"You did?" She genuinely inquired, eyes wide with hope. Then she saw, above his shoulders, the people watching them. And chuckled softly at her own stupidity.

"Of course." Jang Se Joon replied, a gentle if not rehearsed smile on his lips. "You are my wife. I will always look for you if you disappear."

Yoo Jin swallowed as he leant towards her, closing her eyes as their lips met. Like that, with his warmth pressed against her, and her hands gingerly resting on his chest, she could almost fool herself into believing he loved her still. Or had ever, only loved her.

He broke the kiss, smiling with a certain satisfaction. He was probably mentally congratulating himself. That narcissistic pervert. It was odd to see behind the mask yet not being ready to rip it off his face. She liked the mask for now. She needed it so she could carefully craft her own before ripping his off. "Don't remain on your own too long, people are gonna start asking questions..." He remarked, lowering his voice as he kept a smile for their indiscreet audience.

"And what if they do?" The woman asked. "I am asking myself some questions too..."

Jang Se Joon chuckled, glancing over his shoulder before refocusing on her. "What? The girl from earlier? She's looking for an internship, I'm just helping her network." He explained, running his hands along her arms. Then chuckled. "Are we jealous?" He asked, grinning. Mocking. It felt mocking, truly. "I like it when you're jealous." He pressed a kiss to the side of her exposed neck. The asshole got a kick out of watching her suffer, out of making her compete with women younger, taller, firmer, prettier. Why had he married her then? She pushed him away, he grabbed the offensive hand's wrist and led her back close to him. "I said, don't be, like, that."

"Then how shall I be?" She inquired, nostrils flaring as they stood so close to one another.

He chuckled and loosened his hold around her wrist. "I can't tell you how to behave, of course." She was the one with the money after all. "I just..." With his thumb, he slowly drew soothing circles against her skin. "I really want everything to be perfect tonight. If it goes well, I could be Deputy Jang soon."

Yoo Jin chuckled, looking away. And he decided to press another kiss to her exposed neck. When she turned to glare at him, he captured her lips in his own. The kiss more thorough this time, more passionate. He knew, how to get to her. How to leave her breathless. Their audience would probably love that. He cared little for the humiliation she'd eventually feel at the weakness she displayed. And he walked away without a glance back, leaving her panting with a hand on her chest.

"Are you alright up there, princess?" The soldier. Yoo Jin's eyes widened as she glanced over the balcony. There was only one left now. The others were gone. She wanted to ask why he stayed.

She asked another question instead: "What if I'm turning into a witch? Would you rescue me still?"

The male's lips curled up as he let out a breath through his nose, the smog of that breath visible in the heart of the night. "Do you need me to?"

Yoo Jin laughed. "Would you, truly?" She asked, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn't get why this stranger struck such a chord in her.

"I'm coming." He said, heading towards the door.

Yoo Jin's eyes widened. "No!" She called.

"Then come to me." He replied. "Either way, you need out, right?"

Yoo Jin swallowed. "I...." She glanced behind her, at the party that continued, at her husband laughing with his hand around another woman's waist. Then back down at that young soldier. "I'm coming." She declared softly. "Give me five minutes."

"Two." He replied. "Or I'll bang at that door and beg to see the balcony princess."

She shook her head, a faint smile on her lips as she disappeared back into the house. Alone, nobody cared for her much. Not that she cared back. But still. It was fascinating to realize just how little interest people had in her when she wasn't being Jang Se Joon's wife. As if the Choi name didn't carry so much more weight than his own.

_It was too easy to make it to the door._

It was particularly surprising to find the soldier there too. She blinked as she saw him from up close, letting out a: "Wow, you're more handsome than I thought." She admitted. Then her eyes widened in surprise at the bluntness of her own words. "I..."

He chuckled. "Thank you."

She shook her head. "No, I meant, I..." She let out a huff through parted lips.

"You meant?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're a kid." She replied. "I don't want you to misunderstand."

He laughed. "I'm twenty-two."

"I could be your..." She shook her head. No. She couldn't be his mother. But still. "Big sister."

"Do you wish for me to call you noona? You just had to say it, noona." He replied, grinning.

Yoo Jin rolled her eyes, turning her head away. "If it clearly establishes boundaries for you. Sure."

"Very clearly, noona." He reiterated, amused. "Now come on," He took her hand in his, leading her away.

"What are you... I can't possibly just..." He turned to face her at the words. And merely blinked, waiting for the end of wherever that sentence intended to go. "I..." He rose his eyebrows, nodding encouragingly. She sighed. "I don't have my coat."

He laughed. "It's fine, I'm sure we can find some place open."

"It's christmas. Any restaurant worthy of the name is overbooked." Yoo Jin remarked, letting the younger male lead her away from the penthouse, as she held her dress up with the other hand, to see her feet.

He laughed, like she'd shared a particularly funny joke. "Do you think a soldier like me can take you to a fancy place?" He asked. "Wouldn't it be where your dragon would look for you first anyway? I know a bar nearby. It has a story, character."

"Very poetic way to say a pool table and old leather stools." She replied, smiling faintly. He paused, turned to look at her and grinned for a second. "Tell me it's a no smoking inside or I'm heading back to my ivory tower."

"Come on," He said, tugging on her hand. "I have standards." She laughed at that, but indulged him anyway, glad they kept moving as the night grew colder.

~*~

The bar had a jukebox. And even dining tables. Those metallic inexpensive ones that were easy to clean. He led her towards the back and even held out the noisy chair for her. She sat down, amused. It had been so long since she'd felt that carefree. Why was she more comfortable being herself with this stranger than with her husband?

"What's on your mind?" He inquired.

She hummed softly before asking: "What is a soldier doing wandering on his own in this part of the city anyway?"

The male chuckled. "I wasn't alone at first. But I waited for a princess for so long that I ended up on my own." He replied. "I'm actually on furlough for now. I'll be enrolling for Irak soon." He explained.

"Irak? Why?" The woman inquired.

"I don't really serve a purpose here. But the battlefield, that's where I excel."

"That's a little..." Yoo Jin sighed softly. "Sad."

He smiled, lips curling up. "Why?"

"Don't you have a family to come back to? Friends? A lover? They must care for your health." The woman replied. "Why must you always go and risk your life to feel like it's worth living?"

The soldier lowered his head for a minute before calling for a waiter. He ordered them bottles of soju. Ignored when she tried to decline hers. "I already live alone. Don't make me drink alone too." He asked. And she nodded quietly.

"So you don't have anyone to come back to?" She questioned. And he nodded. "Then," She cleared her throat. "you have a noona now. So come back alive. No matter what." She uncapped her own bottle, carefully pouring herself a shot.

He chuckled, a soft breath let out through his nose. "I'll try." He spoke, clinking his own glass with her before downing a shot. "Will you be here still for me to find?"

"You don't know who I am. I don't think you'd want to come to me if you did." She replied.

"You don't know who I am here, yet you came with me."'He replied. "Doesn't that mean something? To me, it looks like we met at the right time under the perfect circumstances to be more to one another."

She furrowing her brows, lightly tilting her head to the side. "What does that mean?"

"It means that fate might just want us to be in one another's life." The soldier replied. "Perhaps, if we met tomorrow, or in five years, we wouldn't be able to be friends. But because we meet today, we could be anything we wanted."

She laughed. "Does that line work with women?"

"I don't know." The male earnestly replied. "I've never used before."

Yoo Jin stilled, eyes widening a second before she downed another shot. "I'm married."

"I figured." He replied. "The ring, the hair, the false smile, and the hands on the balcony. You're married. But are you happy?"

"Does that matter?" She inquired in return, brows creasing with a certain disbelief.

"It's all, that matters." He replied.

And she laughed. "To whom?"

"To me." Those words, uttered with such raw honesty, killed her laughter. "Princesses don't become witches when they get on throne. A queen becomes a witch when the men around her made her so."

"Is that so?" Yoo Jin asked. "What's the evil queen's motive then? Who made her, evil?"

"Men. And the standards they imposed on women. Do you think she wanted to be beautiful for herself? She wanted to be considered the most beautiful by the people. She never asked about her own heart. She didn't care, about her own heart. She wanted the heart of others. And beauty apparently was the commodity."

"However, you can't make people love you." Yoo Jin said.

"No." The soldier agreed. "But you can make them fear you."

Yoo Jin lowered her gaze, swallowing thickly. "And how would she have cared about her own heart?" She inquired before carefully sipping on a third shot.

"By figuring out whom, she really wanted to be loved by." The soldier replied.

"Oh." The woman laughed. "What if she knew? But also knew that love was out of reach? Have you ever wondered if she didn't just settle for the love of everybody else because that one person she really wanted to be loved by, simply wouldn't."

"Then, she chose the wrong person." The male replied. "And should have let go instead of filling her whole life with bitterness and anger."

Yoo Jin downed the rest of her glass. "Bold of you to assume she had a way out."

"We all have choices." He quietly replied. "Options unexplored. Maybes. What ifs. Perhaps. Those, make for a plethora of alternatives story. Nobody has to stick to the narrative. Most people just choose to. Usually, it's a mistake."

Yoo Jin chuckled, lips faintly curling up. "To be a beautiful, bold young man filled with hope." She blinked. "Well, I hope, you never loose that."

"And I, hope, you find some again." He replied, before downing his glass. "I think your husband found us." He added, gesturing at a man who'd entered the bar with his chin. Yoo Jin's brows creased but she turned to see. And yes, her husband was there. Instinctively, she stood and her companion of the evening matched her.

"I was so worried." Se Joon said, reaching her level. He slid his hands around her waist and roughly pulled their chest together before stealing a kiss. She didn't push him away. She never quite managed to. He had no issue, however, pulling away from her to glare at the young soldier who had a faint smirk on his lips. The left corner of his lips was curled up but he wasn't quite amused. Something in his gaze even betrayed a certain anger. Se Joon turned back to face his wife. "I couldn't bear the thought of loosing you. Even an instant. But you're alright. Let's go home now."

Yoo Jin silently nodded, her right index and middle finger remaining on her lips. She turned away from her husband to the young soldier. "Thank you for keeping me company."

"He-hey, noona." The soldier replied.

Jang Se Joon scoffed, ready for his wife to reprimand the young man. She didn't even allow her brother to call her 'noona' so a stranger? She'd probably be furious, right?

Yoo Jin merely chuckled. "Remember: If you find yourself in a situation that's too dangerous, it's okay if you just come back. You have, to come back. Always."

"To you?" He inquired.

She smiled. But the question remained unanswered, because her husband tugged on her arm to lead her away, declaring: "We have to go." She followed. Of course she did. The dragon in her story was whom she wanted to be her knight, her king.

"Snow..." She said softly, as they stepped out, her gaze turning towards the sky. Holding her palms up she slowly spun on herself, and the pin that held her hair together fell. "Oh." She said softly, gaze lowering from the sky towards the floor. But she stopped midway as her eyes met with a young soldier in the window of the bar. She could have sworn they were seated nowhere near a window. She smiled anyway before turning away as the door of black car was opened for her.

 _"Merry Christmas, Samonim..."_ The soldier whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas!  
> It's not a Jejin longshot but I wanted to give the fandom a little gift! Maybe wake up more writers 👀


End file.
